New info on Celebrex – It’s safe and effective

Back in 1999 two new non-steroidal drugs came on the market, Vioxx and Celebrex and they became blockbusters in their usefulness and sales. They were similar to Advil and Aleve but stronger and better and did not cause gastro-intestinal bleeding or ulcers.

But then in 2004 Vioxx was pulled off the market due to findings that it increased the risk of heart attacks. But Celebrex remained available although many have worried that it too had similar unwanted side effects.

Now, after more than ten years of studies which studied the effects of Celebrex to Advil and Aleve the findings are in.

Not only is Celebrex safe but it may be “even safer” than the other two drugs.

The study was quite large, 24,000 people with ARTHRITIS who were at high risk for HEART DISEASE or already had it. The subjects were given either Celebrex, Advil, or Aleve, but neither the participants nor the investigators knew who was taking what.

The investigators noted that the findings only applied to people taking the drug daily for months or years and who at a high risk for heart disease or already have it. These findings do not apply to people who need a short course of an anti-inflammatory for a strain or sprain.

The bottom line is Celebrex is as safe (if not safer) than Advil or Aleve and being that it is a prescription strength may work better for many patients with arthritis, musculo-skeletal pain issues or many other orthopedic conditions.